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Summary

...Well, this was a rather interesting week. Not only did we have numerous entries earning triple digits on their posts, we also had a wide variety of both older and newer artists showering us with great songs and evoking within each of us, just about every emotion under the sun – and therein lies the sublime beauty of music!

As if all that stimulation wasn’t enough, our esteemed @luzcypher was tearing his hair out for much of the week due to technical “server-issues,” which were blocking him from seeing wide swaths of entries. These varying chunks of entries wouldn’t show up in his feed until 3 to 5 days AFTER they had been posted! His job is hard enough as it is, but wow, I’m telling you straight from the heart, that type of challenge and aggravation is enough to make a grown man cry, people!

As a result of the sheer workload that @luzcypher needs to execute (every single day) insofar as viewing and screening all of the entries to get them approved, (never mind the occasional technical glitches, which are out of everyone’s control) - each of us has to be very patient in waiting for our entries to be looked at, reviewed, and assessed. You feel me, people? Furthermore, just in case you’re wondering:

What Should I Do if My Entry is not Included in the "See Who Played" list?

With so many entries and the inherent technical problems that can occur, it is quite likely that some valid entries will inadvertently slip through the cracks. If this happens to you, I have been suggesting the following:

If after @luzcypher posts his “See Who Played List” each Friday, and you do not see your entry listed, - if you know you’ve followed ALL of the rules, and you know deep down within your heart that your entry was indeed good enough to be truly worthy of taking its place within the official weekly list, then by all means, post a comment under the “See Who Played” post, and kindly ask @luzcypher if he may have missed your entry. Be patient, and soon he will look into it, and fix it when the situation is appropriate for him to do so.

Whew, now that was a mouthful wasn’t it? …All of that being said, let’s get on with the immediate business at hand, which is some extra judge-related info along with, of course, going through my top picks for the week, shall we.

Because I start judging entries from day-1 of each week’s contest, I am more often than not one of the first judges to come out with a top-5 selections list. I keep up in real-time with all of @luzcyphers “approved” entries, and sometimes, I even get a little ahead of him. Trust me, that’s not an easy task to accomplish by any means.

My cut-off time for judging entries is the cut-off time stated in the rules. I do very much make certain that before making my final selections, that I review @luzcyphers “official” See Who Played Lists to make certain that all approved entries are present and accounted for insofar as my weekly picks are concerned.

At the current UTC time to which the cut-off is aligned, I am now roughly 12-hours post the cut-off, so I feel more than confident in submitting at this point in time – my picks for the week.

So with all of that now said, following some further insights as to how I judge, which you can find directly below, you will soon thereafter find my selections for this week way down yonder beneath that.

Steemit Open Mic Week 69

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My Process

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As one of the esteemed Open Mic judges, it is my job to come up with (or “curate” as it were) a short-list of my top 5 entrants each week. With all of the great talent here, that is by no means an easy task. Sure, tossing in another 5 honorable mentions helps, but not when my weekly list starts out with 30 or more of my favorite entries... You guy's rock - I'm tellin ya!

Yes, I am a Libra – so I have an inherent drive deep within me to be fair and balanced – good qualities for a “judge” if you ask me. That being said, I’m still human – filled with emotion and subjective feelings – just like you. So, in order to mitigate my subjective tendencies to the best extent possible, I’ve come up with a method by which to narrow down my selections in a more objective vs. arbitrary manner.

Here’s how I go about my personal judging process: I first start out with a list of 30 or more of my most favorite entries for the week, and score them (yes, subjectively) in six distinct categories via a spreadsheet. The categories I’ve selected for scoring are in general harmony with those explained by @luczypher in his post titled How We Pick The Top 3 Entries, referencing such.

To get a more in-depth perspective as to how I personally go about selecting my artists, please refer to What I go through as an Open-Mic Judge.

Even though it’s still a “subjective” process – diligently going through each scoring category to come up with a “total” score for each entrant helps to minimize any overzealous subjectivity that I may harbor with respect to any specific entrants.

Quite often, this exercise doesn’t give me the exact results I would personally prefer to see – but that only means that my system of judging is working as intended and designed. With all of that said, here are...

My Top-5 Picks in Order

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FIRST PLACE: @hanlovello - “Let Her Go” - (Cover Song)

You know what? Well, - let me tell you what... - ...Every now and then, a truly "killer" cover performance just simply rules the day - hands-down!

This entry by @hanlovello, my most cherished listeners, (insofar as I am concerned anyway,) - is one of those very remarkable instances whereby the "cover" takes the "crown".

This guy just covered all of my scoring bases from production quality, entertainment value, musical dynamics, passion, persona, and overall quality - I mean, geez, come on already... - this rendition of "Let Her Go" was simply thru-the-roof on every single one of my scoring criteria benchmarks!

@hanlovello’s musical performance speaks far louder than words could ever describe. Just take a listen, and see for yourselves - precisely what it is to which I am referring here. Yep, that’s exactly why he took my number 1 spot this week. Congratulations, brother – you’ve earned it!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@hanlovello/steemit-open-mic-week-69-let-her-go-cover-passenger

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SECOND PLACE: @luisferchav – “Brighter Than Sunshine” - (Cover Song)

As I generally alluded to in my reflexive comments beneath his post, - this rather gifted member of our most esteemed "Songwriter's Challenge Community" simply blew me away!. I truly could not believe that this was a "cover" and not one of his "original" compositions! I've never heard this song before, and Luis's rendition thereof made me love it like no other! Not simply "the song itself" but rather the creative and unique rendition that Luis has graced us with here. As such, yet another "cover" has found its way into my number 2 spot here in week #69. Check it out, you're gonna love it!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@luisferchav/open-mic-week-69-aqualung-cover-brighter-than-sunshine

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THIRD PLACE: @yonderarrietajr2 – “Eres (You Are)” - (Original Song)

This is an original composition that I truly love for a multitude of reasons! First and foremost, is the sense of unity, friendship, and camaraderie that envelopes and defines the three talented individuals behind this most outstanding performance. This passionate, consistent, and persuasive team effort is truly one to behold for the record books! These guys are having a frikkin' blast - and the fun and passion that each of them brings to the table, translates ever-so succinctly to our collective yearning for fun, celebration, and coming together amid the universal language, otherwise known simply as, - "music!"
https://steemit.com/openmic/@yonderarrietajr2/steemit-openmic-week-69-eres-inedito-original-song

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FOURTH PLACE: @kendramoriah – “Heartbeat” - (Original Song)

My darling and most gifted, Kendra, (surprise, surprise) is finding herself once again (for the second week in a row) in the 4th tier of my most revered order here in week 69. ...Hmmm... ...I'm sensing somewhat of a pattern here, which I can't quite put my finger on. Be that as it may… Though a late arrival of sorts, Kendra here, like Luis above, is also a rather esteemed member of the Open-Mic / "Songwriters Challenge" family. It is readily apparent that "the music is in her," and there simply ain't no stoppin' it from coming out- and man, it's such a beautiful thing to behold! Kendra sure has my heart beating here, and I'm certain that she'll have your heart beating as well... Just click "play" and adjust your music-loving pacemakers accordingly! :-)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@kendramoriah/steemit-open-mic-week-69-heartbeat-original-song

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FIFTH PLACE: @mrprecious – “Let Me Love You” - (Cover Song)

So, yeah - Mr. “P” has become somewhat of an overnight sensation here amid the Open-Mic community - and for a very good reason at that! This week, he simply got the better of me with his move toward a little bit of "R&B" as it were, (which of course, translates to "Rythmn and Blues" for those not quite familiar with the reference). He talks about "connecting" in his post - and I couldn't agree with him more! Connect he did - (with me anyway)! After you click play and listen to this, I guarantee you'll be going "R&B" in no time flat! Hat's off, Mr. Precious - you continue to live up to your handle, my brother! Much love... .x

https://steemit.com/openmic/@mrprecious/steemit-open-mic-week-69-mario-s-let-me-love-you-cover

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My Top-5 Honorable Mentions in Order:

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First: @chimtivers96 – “Bones” - (Original)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@chimtivers96/steemit-open-mic-week-69-bones-original-song

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Second: @kjablonski - "Shine" - (Original Song)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@kjablonski/steemit-openmic-week-69-shine-original-song

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Third: @orrslaw – “Faust’s Wager” - (Original Song)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@orrslaw/steemit-openmic-week-69-original-song-faust-s-wager

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Fourth: @zipporah – “Kaleidoscope Grey” - (Original Song)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@zipporah/steemit-open-mic-week-69-kaleidoscope-grey-original-song

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Fifth: @iqbalubit – “Do You Still Remember” - (Original Song)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@iqbalubit/steetimt-open-mic-weeks-69-original-song-do-you-still-remember-2fc526452b7da

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Thank you for reviewing my selections for this week’s Open-Mic contest. If you find the content I curate entertaining and of value to you, then please consider up-voting and/or re-steeming it.

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Peace, Love, and Justice for All

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A Very Special Shout Out To:

The following artists who were very much on my radar, each within a splitting hair of making it into my overall top-10, and whose performances I loved, cherish, and respect most assuredly.

They are - in no particular order:

@wilins, @tonypapa, @nicolivera11, @jaredkhamanah, @denis.savisko3, @yourmercury, @hokulor, @oscarcede, @onetruebrother,@lucybanks, @jesuszoliz, @javierdunn, @stanhopeofficial, @elisonr13, @branhmusic, @cabelindsay, @melavie, @art-mess, @nirtsfaty, @steembirds, @basilmarples, @teukurobbybinor, @markaustin, @mightyjoenolan, @byrongrant, @mogatiexperiment, @chaifm, @orianaarmand, @mrbloom, @disclaimerhffmn, @shelbi, @anarchrysalis, @alejandra23, @rjcha, @rial17, @tarotbyfergus, @edward-ong, @senzenfrenz, @jesusman12, @brendahcaroline, @robertonavs, @pechichemena, @sayedusman, @addiesworld, @etemi, @marcusings, @guitarlots.

Much love and thanks to each and every one of you who have touched a part of my heart and soul - not only this week but forever!

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